Where Are The Watchmen (Part 4)

“Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if some who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do is just and right–if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil–that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live. Ezekiel 33:12-16 NIV

It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not keep it.

The sinner has a better chance of making it to heaven once they repent–turning completely away from their sin and turning to God than the self-righteous who claimed to know God and yet will not live according to God’s ways–loving all!

What we see in Washington with the religious-right GOP (including trump is neither a Christian or Republican)–are those who proclaim to know God, yet do not know how to live Godly lives.

We know from God’s Word that He hates liars and lies.

We know from God’s Word that when the righteous turn to evil, they have lost their claim to heaven.

We know from God’s Word that He came down to earth in the likeness of sinful flesh to take sin upon Himself so we might be saved.

We know from God’s Word that it is better for us if we never claim to know God than to claim to know Him and then reject His ways.

This is what happens when we study God’s Word: we know! Only those who never study, never understand, can refute the truth of God’s Word and humiliate themselves in front of others. 

My take from the above-mentioned passage of scripture is that Pence is leading the pack (Sessions, Gorsuch, Ryan, McConnell, et al) of those who claim to be righteous, but are trusting in their own righteousness and rejecting God’s Word–to love. If they were truly righteous, they would defend the rights of the poor and the needy, embrace all human life and encourage love for one another. This is not what they do. They make distinctions as to who they’ll care about and who they’ll reject. They choose corporations and generous donors over the needs of Everyday Americans.

At the moment, they (GOP) are rejecting: any and all persons who do not look like them, worship like them or live like them. Though they claim to be “pro-life” they are actually, pro-fetus because they care less about the life after it appears and we know this by all the legislation they promote that denies access to healthcare for the poor, education for the poor, and opportunity to gain wealth since they want to hoard all the wealth for themselves.

The GOP want to defund Planned Parenthood, an organization that serves the poor and women. They claim their stance against abortion is why, but if they impede women from having access to birth control and other services that helps to keep living (cancer screening, etc.), they prove they are misogynistic and nowhere in the Bible are we told to mistreat women.

So, in Christ Jesus (those believing and living according to His Word) you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29 NIV (parenthetical is mine).

We know that many of the “religious-right” confuse Old Testament historical knowledge with “contemporary application,” but that’s because they do not understand what their relationship with Christ should produce.  Yes, we can look back at what God said through the prophets and apply what much is said to us in the 21st Century. That is for our understanding, not our doing. God used the prophets to speak to the people “before” He appeared in the earth. It is because of His appearance in the earth and His return to heaven, leaving behind His Spirit–that we can “all” have access to Him, directly.

Okay, I know some will be offended by what I’ve already said, but I will not retract any of it. People are offended by truth especially when truth reveals their hypocrisy. I will speak His truth no matter how many are offended for people have neither heaven or hell for me–only God does. I’m not sacrificing my mansion to appease people. And those who do–turn from righteousness to wickedness and evil–have a place reserved for them, too– in the lake of fire.

We should carefully consider who we put into positions of authority and power and know by their love for others whether or not they belong to Christ. If they have no love for others, they cannot rightfully claim a relationship with Christ. Pause and meditate on that and willingly receive truth about the nation’s leaders in Washington. Time to make a change.

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God Has Plans For Evil!

Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you are a disgrace in the eyes of God? You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue! Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you form the land of the living. The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying, Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others! (v.1-7)

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good. Psalm 52 NIV

I could stop right here and say nothing more. Those who have discerning spirits can see how The Word (v 1-7) apply to our current resident in the Oval Office.

Think back to all the campaign rhetoric spewed (most of which GOPers say we shouldn’t give much credence). Think about all the evil trump encouraged and spouted about every one of his opponents. Think about all the hateful merchandise sold at his hate-filled rallies and all the hateful chants ignited by him and other spokespersons like Michael Flynn and Jeff Sessions as well as others. Think about it and reflect upon it and then connect the dots to what we see–the reality of the rhetoric–alive and well in the White House.

We know Russia hijacked the election for trump and trump and key Republicans collaborated in the effort–which is why none of the House or Senate GOP have much to say about the disgraceful mess unfolding from the White House. They knew and they wanted power so badly they went along with it. The bad part is–they were instrumental in convincing the Evangelical leaders to go along with their madness. And if any of the “Religious Right” are still supporting this administration, they prove they hate America and all we stand for.

No knowledge of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, or Declaration of Independence has been demonstrated by trump. He has no knowledge of history and certainly not of geography (aptly demonstrated in both trips abroad).

His voice patterns indicate his ineptness at understanding the importance of “reading material” before trying to give it as a speech before the public. He is slow–hesitant–and indicates a lack of understanding how to pronounce certain words. In the presence of truly powerful men–his tone is submissive, not firm and assertive; but at his rallies, he practically screams because he knows those who attend are the undereducated and ill-informed and won’t challenge his knowledge about anything. They just accept.

But the last two verses in this Psalm should serve as encouragement for the righteous–those who try to live right before God without committing the atrocities we see committed by trump. We will flourish in the presence of God and all those who committed evil and plotted the destruction of American democracy. We shall be victorious in coming elections and we shall be wise in our selection of people who should lead us for coming generations, so we’ll never see the likes of this type of evil again, in America.

I’m Mary Hall-Rayford, and I approve this message. I hope after reviewing the information on my FaceBook page (www.facebook.com/YesIAm2020) , you’ll support my effort to bring respect back to the White House and put America back in its rightful place on the world stage–front and center.

Persist With Righteousness!

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. Romans 2:1-11 NIV

The Word speaks for itself–when people have a heart to receive by allowing Holy Spirit to reveal it. But then, there are some–who think they know and don’t.

Karma is about to play a big role in our government. All those who wrongly judged President Obama and Hillary Clinton are about to see what the Hamanesque effect is all about.

This is not my judgment against anyone–though I have been speaking for months about the crisis in the White House with an incompetent leader at the helm. It is notable to see how God’s Word applies to every aspect of our lives–whether we realize it or not.

I encourage folks to strengthen a right relationship with God–not religious institutions or political party–but in assuring access to Heaven through Jesus Christ. When we fully understand how powerful love is–we’ll be able to live in peace and harmony–defending the rights of the poor and needy.

We see the results of those who have apparently “pledged their allegiance and loyalty to an incompetent leader” in order to faithfully represent a political party ideology, rather than faithfully representing their constituents in positions of leadership in our country. Greed for power and money changes people and see it every day in Washington, DC. No longer do those elected leaders care about the voters who put them there; they only care about their own agenda–to make themselves richer.

It’s time for a change and we must persist in righteousness in all we do. We can and we shall change the landscape in this country and elect people who care more about their constituents than they do about their own personal agendas–driven by hatred.

 

Never Shaken!

LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the LORD; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15 NIV

If we do what is said in The Word, we will never be shaken!

So what happens, if we don’t do what’s said in The Word?

Where is God’s sacred tent? The heavens are His and those who live according to His Word and His Judgment will dwell with Him forever. Heaven is my home (my true resting place).

Those whose walk is blameless–we should be living epistles, read of men–and what they see should reflect who God is. This does not mean we–mere human beings are perfect–but we recognize our own shortcomings, acknowledge our fallibility, and apologize when we are wrong. This is what a righteous person does.

Who’s speaking truth from their heart? Those who know The Lord–know that God is not a man that He should lie and that He is the same–yesterday, today, and forever for He has said, “I change not.” It is men who change their minds–consistently–to the point that one could say, no one knows what men will do next. Since hearts are so fickle, can any human being speak truth from their heart if their heart is filled with the love of God, and truth of His Word? No–we cannot–for without His guidance, our knowledge and wisdom are faulty.

Whose tongue utters no slander–can we expect to live with God if we deliberately tell lies about others and even when proven wrong–refuse to back down–admitting we lied? No, we cannot slander others–allowing our egos to rule us and still expect to live for all eternity with God.

Can we treat our neighbors with contempt and show ourselves “unfriendly” when they make attempts to fortify longstanding alliances? No, if we do not respect and honor our neighbors–“love your neighbor as yourself”–we cannot expect to maintain alliances or to dwell in Heaven. President Obama was slandered by 45 and no one in the White House thinks he is owed an apology–since none is forthcoming.

Can we cast slurs on others and still expect to make into Heaven? No–we cannot accuse others of doing something they did not do–without apology or acknowledgment of our being wrong. The British Intelligence Community was accused of doing something they did not do simply because of a lack of knowledge and investigation on the part of the White House team.

It would appear that 45 honors the vile person in Russia and yet despises the honorable in America–President Obama, our Intelligence Community, and our federal judges.

Anyone with seeing eyes and hearing ears can see that 45 has failed to keep his oath of office–when he puts his own personal interest (family/business) or those of his billionaire buddies ahead of the best interest of all Americans.

He has no interest in assisting the poor and with the proposed budget and changes in healthcare–he actually will oppress the poor.

We also know that 45 bribes and has been bribed and has no problem with the concept.

And that is why the White House has been shaken–they are operating on overdrive trying to combat all the negative publicity generated by the shortsighted 45 and his relentless ego-driven tweets. Not only are they shaken, but they can rest assured–they will not dwell for all eternity with God.

For the rest of us–as long as we do what God says and speak His Truth–we will never be shaken by unfolding events.

Let The Lord Lead!

Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, LORD, detest. But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies.Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.  Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5 NIV

Is the Lord leading our already great nation? Too many (without express guidance from God) are saying that God is using Trump to bring people back to Him! Does God need to use deceitful tactics to bring awareness of who He is? Does God need to take “choice” from us to bring people to Him?

If that was the plan (and I sincerely doubt it), it’s not working. More people are turning away from those bastions of religious ardor than ever before. In fact, the attitude of a number of people is borderline hatred for anyone claiming to be a Christian. I was told that I couldn’t be a Democrat and a Christian. When I asked the person who said this, “why not” they responded by saying Democrats don’t believe in the bible.

NEWSFLASH! From what I see of Republican behavior, they are the ones who don’t believe in the Bible. Oh sure, they “select” a few talking points to justify what they do, but the bible should not be used for talking points, but righteous living before God. If a person spewing forth cherry-picked scriptures are not living The Word, what they say means absolutely nothing. They are not letting The Lord lead them anywhere other than to “seize opportunities to control the masses,” just like the Pharisees.

The more I talk to Believing Christians (not the pseudo-Christians–who profess a form of godliness, but know not God), the more I realize that people are running from those who claim to be Christians but don’t want to love others.

Let me see if I can make a case for what I see and believe (based upon The Word). The first thing I look at in The Word is knowing what I’m supposed to do–Love God and love others.  God gives each of us the right to choose what we do and He honors our choices--and leaves us to receive the consequences of our choices–good or bad. This is why I am Pro-Choice (which does not mean I am pro-abortion as some are saying–promoting the lie that a person cannot be pro-choice and a Christian).

According to The Word–Christians are to defend the rights of the poor and the needy, those who are vulnerable and don’t have a platform to fight for themselves. I have been involved with non-profits and in volunteering for many years–making sure the rights of others are not trampled and that they have access to what they need. This is the Christian walk–always considering the needs of others above self. Do we see that from Republicans or the rats scurrying around the White House?

Do I love God? More than life itself and have enjoyed serving Him. If He called me home right now, I would not be concerned about His final words to me for I know, I’ll hear, “Well done.”

How do I know this? I say what God says and do what He tells me to do. When I allow Him to lead, I cannot go wrong. Does He always take the road I’d like to take? No, and I often wonder why I can’t go the way I want to go. I can–He doesn’t force us to do anything nor does He make choices for us. He has planned our lives (Jeremiah 23:11) and if we want to obtain what He has planned, we must believe Him and follow His directions, not man’s.

How about loving others? Not a problem–I know how to love because of the love He pours into my heart–unconditionally, even the unlovable. That doesn’t mean that I like what others do or condone lifestyles that are not of God. I discovered a long time ago that we encourage people to come to Christ by how we treat them, not by preaching them into hell. Christ loves the sinner–so can I–but I don’t become a sinner to show them Christ; I live what I say I believe. If people don’t want to change who they are or what they do–they won’t and that’s not on me. My responsibility ends with my representation of who Christ is, not whether they accept and believe it.

And herein lies the problem with the “representation” of who He is by Republicans who promote a liar-in-chief. Many who have straddled the fence in coming to terms with Christianity have now chosen the other side–alongside the non-believers and atheists because they want no part of “Christianity” as demonstrated by pseudo-christians. I refuse to be a hypocrite, listen to them or support them since they lie to themselves and others about who they are.

That is truly the sad part. When people have an opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ, they have chased people away with their attacks and delusional beliefs that God would choose a mentally incompetent pathological liar to lead millions of people–into total chaos, pulling apart families, making people fearful and obstructing justice to try to keep their wrong-doings hidden. That doesn’t sound like the God of Heaven to me and it certainly doesn’t demonstrate who He is.

Fortunately for me and a number of others, we won’t have to answer to God for this folly when we stand before Him. On a daily basis, I seek The Lord for guidance and implore Him to help me get through another day, without resorting to the tactics I see from others. That does not mean I won’t use every avenue open to me to point out the hypocrisy of those in leadership positions or to let them know–they lie and mislead and we see it. I thank God for Him keeping my words–civil (just barely, but He does rein me in) so I don’t come across as a hypocrite.

My criticism of those in White House and on Capitol Hill is justified and needed in order to bring them to a place where if they never respond to me or others; they will not be able to stand before God and say, “they didn’t realize they were wrong.” There are a number of us who remind them on a daily basis that what they’re doing is wrong. We can’t make them do right, but we can keep letting them know just how wrong they are and we do.

Whenever anyone attempts to violate a person’s rights–in Christ or according to the Constitution, they are wrong.  Using bullying tactics and deceitful strategies and bribery to get others to do what they want is wrong. Separating families who have committed no crimes and just want the opportunity to have a better life is wrong. Yeah, yeah, I know there is a “legal” way to obtain entrance into this country, but desperate people often do desperate things in order to save the lives of their family–especially when children are involved. So what happened to “defending the rights of the poor and needy?” With those who love Christ and have more love to share with others, we’re doing just that. It’s the others–the pseudo-christians–who are not being led by The Lord.

30 Days of Prayer and Praise–28!

The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the LORD in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy. The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them.He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them. LORD our God, you answered them; you were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds. Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy. Psalm 99 NIV 

Day Twenty-Eight!

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for reminding us in Your Word about all You do and have done for those who have a heart to serve You. You reign over the nations and nothing the enemy does shall change who You are.

When sin shrouds righteousness, You shake up the earth with quakes and squalls and allow the ground to open and the seas to overflow because You have been ignored.

Lord, we thank You for delivering those who live right before You from all danger and harm and executing righteous judgment against all those who would intentionally harm any who proclaim You as Lord.

Though this country was founded on the beliefs and foundations of Your Word, some have strayed from loving all and caring about the rights and needs of all, help us to rekindle our love of mankind in order to keep this country moving forward–embracing diversity, fighting for justice and equality of all, and teaching our children to know love, receive love from You and share the love of Christ with all they meet.

Lord, seer the consciences of those in leadership positions–who proclaim to know You–to cease their acts of hatred and disregard for those who are unable to speak up for themselves. Remind them You are both Savior and Judge and will judge them according to their acts as You will with all of us.

Lord, for those of us who are fighting for justice and equality of all Americans, strengthen our resolve to keep fighting the good fight of faith–calling out injustice and liars and inequity everywhere we see it. Keep filling our hearts with hope and renewing our faith on a daily basis, reminding us at all times, we are victorious in You, no matter how things look on the surface.

O God, root out all the evil and wicked plans that reside in the hearts of those who don’t know You and are only interested in their corrupt power-grabs for power, greed and status. Bring them down for all to see as You expose their evil. Let not one of Your children be destroyed in the wake of the evil, but all those who perpetuate evil, let them be destroyed and all who have promoted their evil be destroyed with them.

You are a mighty, just, and loving God and we lay all our hope and trust in You. What an awesome God to love those who live simply and love whole-heartedly all who cross their paths.

Thank You for truth and ability to see through the lies of the enemy and for boldness to call out all unrighteousness; especially in those who profess to belong to You.

We give You praise, honor and glory for there is None Like You in all the earth!

In Jesus’ name we pray and thank You, Amen!

We Wear What We Are!

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by. The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here. Zechariah 3:3-7 NIV

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, Ephesians 6:14 NIV

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 NIV

Whatever is in our heart is what will overflow,

What we say comes from its abundance,

What we do represents what we think,

What others see is who we really are.

Lord, help us to be more like You,

So You will be seen, not us!

The image others see

Should be You and not me,

Not others, on this journey, life.

Shower us with the love we need,

From above, abiding within,

Guiding our thoughts, words and deeds.

Seeing Beyond The Moment!

In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues. Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.  Love the LORD, all his faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:20-24 NIV

I can only imagine how some people may feel when they make “unpopular” but right decisions. Today, I want to encourage all those who know The Lord to maintain your stance in righteousness and trust Him to fight all the battles that are looming before you.

With God going before you, He is more than the world against you. And that includes: The bullying celebrities, the bullying corporations, and the all the rest of the ungodly who promote living in opposition to God’s Word.

Remember that doing the right thing–even when it goes against the grain of what society thinks is right–is better than caving to popular opinion and going against God.

I have no idea of what the relationship with God is for those who are in positions to make “right decisions” for the majority and are facing ridicule and scorn. I pray they are seeking God’s wisdom in all they do and know that as long as they do the right thing, they can count on Him to provide for their every need.

For the bullies: “Shame on you on making a punitive decision for the masses in order to support the few.” I pray the bullies will gain understanding of how illogical their move was and see how they are creating divides that may never close because of the anger resulting from their bullying.

When we know that God is our source–of prosperity, wealth, and health–we can survive the enemy’s tactics and thrive in his presence. Hold fast, be very courageous and do all that honors God, not man.

Great is our God and greatly to be praised! He is in our midst and no weapon or threat by bullies against righteousness will prevail against those who love The Lord!

Why Jesus said, “Blessed Are You When People Insult You!”

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” (Matthew 5:11 NIV)

In this passage of scripture, which is notably called, The Sermon on the Mount, crowds of people had been following Jesus, listening to His proclamation of Good News, and paying attention to His healing the sick. He went upon the mountain side and sat down and when His disciples came to Him, He taught them. Notice all that is said, before He gets to our scripture reference for today.

Matthew 5:3-10–Commonly referred to as the Beatitudes (What our attitude should be):

vs.3 Blessed are the poor IN SPIRIT, for theirs (strength is in Jesus) is the kingdom of heaven.

vs.4 Blessed are those who mourn (grieve over the loss of a loved one) for they WILL BE COMFORTED.

vs.5 Blessed are the meek (those who have no need to bring attention to themselves) for they will INHERIT the earth.

vs.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for RIGHTEOUSNESS (doing what is right before God), for they will be filled.

vs.7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be SHOWN mercy (new mercies every day).

vs.8 Blessed are the pure in heart (have a heart for God), they WILL SEE GOD.

vs.9 Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS, for they will be called children of God.

vs.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of RIGHTEOUSNESS, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

I have detailed explanations of these blessings in myBook.to/IAMALLTHAT 

All these Jesus said to those who follow Him and all these are still relevant today for all who follow Him.

The references to righteousness is for those in right standing with God, not because of their own righteousness, because we no no righteousness of ourselves. These are the people who know what God has said and endeavor to obey Him in all things. When they miss the mark, they are quick to repent–turning away from the thing(s) they did which did not please God. We who choose to come to God (the disciples came to Him) and listen and obey are blessed no matter what our individual circumstances are.

Knowing how other people–who don’t know Him would treat those who follow Him–the blessings He confers are to encourage us when we are belittled, and ridiculed because of our faith in Him. And then He goes on to say in vs. 12 “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” In other words, those who have been speaking God’s Word to nations long before we came on the scene were ridiculed, and killed because they spoke what God spoke to them.

Beloved, there is so much more that Jesus said, and I encourage all who don’t know Him to get to know Him through His Word. For those of us who know, we must simply keep saying what God said–knowing that one plants the seed of righteousness and direction to Jesus, another waters, and we wait to see God’s increase.

The Lord Determines Righteousness!

“And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

There are many things that many people do and believe that makes them believe they are righteous. The problem with what we believe that makes us anything is that if it does not align with God’s Word, it doesn’t count.

The works of our hands–do not make us righteous in the eyes of the Lord.

We cannot just say–things that will keep us in right standing with God.

We cannot just do–works of repentance that will keep us in right standing with God.

It is our faith in God and in what He has said that keeps us in right standing with God. Our faith and belief have to align with God’s Word no matter what “people” say or do. If our faith is in man–any church leader–male or female–then our faith is misplaced. There is no human being who has obtained the Wisdom of God to the point they are wiser than God.

We must be careful then in whom we place our faith. Man–in all the fickleness of mind–changes what they believe and attempt to change all others who have demonstrated faith in them.

We cannot have more faith in our flawed political system or our imperfect politicians than God.

We cannot have more faith in the justice system or the justices who are appointed to be just when they are not, when they oppose God.

We cannot have more faith in our spouses than we have in God because mere human beings are subject to imperfection.

When our faith–nothing wavering–is completely centered in God, we cannot go wrong and He will count us as righteous because we are totally reliant upon Him to guide us in all things.

No matter what the Pope says, the Supreme Court Justices say, the President says, the church leaders, the legislators, the ACLU, community activists, no one should have the final say over what we do or in whom we have faith. If our faith is misplaced because of following people, then we surely cannot please God. If we have developed and established a Relationship with God, we will hear Him when He speaks and know that He is the only One we can be sure of–He never changes His mind.

Lord Jesus, help us to understand and to keep our focus on You so You will count us as righteous in Your sight because of our faith in You!